William Smith built a 16-point lead through three quarters, then held off a late Pitt-Bradford rally for a 66-61 women’s basketball victory Saturday at McDowell Sports & Fitness Center in Bradford, Pennsylvania.
Ava Lobozzo and Jojo Sulmasy scored 11 points apiece as the Herons improved to 2-1, according to HWS Athletics. Pitt-Bradford fell to 1-3 despite outscoring William Smith 24-13 in the fourth quarter.
Second-quarter defense builds the lead
The teams finished the opening quarter tied at 19. William Smith shot 57% from the field, while Pitt-Bradford shot 50% and used its outside shooting to keep pace.
The Herons took control in the second quarter, limiting the Panthers to five points and 14.3% shooting. William Smith made three 3-pointers during the period and outscored Pitt-Bradford 17-5 to take a 36-24 halftime lead.
William Smith extended its advantage by outscoring the Panthers 17-13 in the third. Amanda Dempsey finished the quarter with a driving layup at the buzzer, giving the Herons a 53-37 lead.
Pitt-Bradford responded with an 11-0 run during its fourth-quarter comeback and cut the deficit to three. William Smith made defensive stops and free throws down the stretch to secure the nonconference win.
Balanced scoring offsets turnover trouble
Lobozzo added five rebounds and two assists, while Sulmasy finished with three rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Kira Ostovar contributed nine points, five assists, four steals, three rebounds and a block.
Anne Keneally supplied seven points, three rebounds and two assists off the bench. Miranda Martin led William Smith with nine rebounds, followed by Dani Krenzer with six. Giana Lobozzo had four rebounds, four assists and two steals, and Krenzer also recorded two steals.
Brooke Przbylski led Pitt-Bradford with a game-high 17 points, four steals, three rebounds and two assists. Mari Nixon added 13 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists.
William Smith shot 46.3% from the field and 41.2% from 3-point range, compared with Pitt-Bradford’s 36.2% and 35.7%. The Herons held a 42-34 rebounding advantage, led 22-13 in assists and blocked eight shots while the Panthers had none.
Turnovers helped keep Pitt-Bradford in contention. William Smith committed 28 to the Panthers’ 17, and Pitt-Bradford finished with 21 steals to the Herons’ nine. William Smith shot 60% at the foul line; Pitt-Bradford made 66.7%.
Head coach Seraphine Hamilton said Pitt-Bradford’s full-court pressure caused problems and William Smith needed to protect the ball better. She credited the Herons with staying together to finish the win and said the experience would help the team improve.
The Herons host SUNY Brockport in their home opener Saturday, Nov. 21. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Bristol Gym.
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